


The Red Headed Spy

by aseriesofolafevents



Series: Stark by Name [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Nat is a good bro, Protective Natasha Romanov, The Avengers (2012) Spoilers, and the avengers dont go to the compound they stay in the tower, because tony has a daughter, part of a main story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-11 15:14:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15318282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aseriesofolafevents/pseuds/aseriesofolafevents
Summary: When Juliet Stark met Natasha Romanov...





	The Red Headed Spy

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of an Avengers series so please check out my main story called 'Your Hand Holding Mine'!! Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!!!

At 8 years old, I was tall for my age. But not the nice kind of tall where one feels like a model. I mean the gangly, spider-like tall, towering over people my age. I was fringeless and therefore had no way of hiding the great landscape that was my forehead. When I laughed, I snorted and when I cried,, I wailed. Grace and decorum did not come easy to me and I was more likely to trip over my own feet then I was to sail like a swan.

 

Worst of all I was lonely.

 

I was eight years of age and I was already lonely. I didn’t go to school, so my friends were limited to those I met through my clubs and the children of my Dad’s partners. 

In fact, my closest friends were Happy, our driver, Dad and Pepper. Life seemed so simple back in these times. I knew Dad’s Iron man antics, yet I was told that it was more of a harmless hobby then a saving the world thing. 

 

The first time I saw Natasha Romanov was through the bannister of the tower. I was packing for a summer camp that Pepper had read about, in a bid to help me gain more friends. Realising that I needed a new pair of shorts, I was headed downstairs to tell Pepper, when a posse walked through the living space. The group consisted of Dad, Pep, Happy and the woman who was then known as Natalie Rushman. However, I didn’t know her name and so I called her ‘Aphrodite’, since I had become very interested in Ancient Greece and Natalie looked like a woman who all men had fallen in love with.

 

I had never seen a woman like Aphrodite before and when I did, I was so startled that I leapt behind the bannister. The way she moved seemed so calculated and sophisticated and when she spoke it seemed as though the words dripped off her tongue. Of course, I thought Pepper was truly beautiful, yet Aphrodite seemed to carry this aura of strength and resilience that I found alluring at my young age. I crept back to my room and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to make my hair bounce in curls like Aphrodite’s did. 

 

It is fair to say that the camp did not improve my social skills, as I found myself embellishing Aphrodite’ truth, telling people that she was a greek god. Some of the older kids heard me telling others that I had seen Aphrodite and decided to brand me with the liar label for the rest of the summer, laughing at me as I walked past, calling me the camp cuckoo.

 

When I returned, Aphrodite was nowhere to be seen and when I asked Pepper where the red haired woman had gone, she shook her head and told me that she had other business to attend to.

 

The next two years dragged on and instead of blossoming into a talkative beautiful ten year old, I found myself shrinking into recluse with my parents, spending far too much time in the lab, learning about science and far too many hours with my nose buried in book, neglecting the outside world and refusing to let it in.

 

Three days after my tenth birthday, Pepper told me that we were going to stay with her mother for some time, as Dad had a work meeting. I wasn’t stupid and I understood everything that was happening, yet I packed my bags and travelled out to see Jean in DC. Jean is still like a grandmother to me and my mind was momentarily distracted from Dad and New York. We returned home after and it was a tear filled reunion with Dad. The other ‘Avengers’ as they now called themselves were settling into their rooms in the tower and by the time I dragged myself up to bed, it was later than usual.

 

My room was in a different place than it is now, I was residing in a smaller room, closer to my parents. This meant that I didn’t have enough closet space tto keep my various clothes and so I used a different room to house some loungewear, including my chic hello kitty pyjamas. Having decided that I was going to wear these particular pyjamas, I went crashing into my closet room and almost had a heart attack. For there, standing in front of me, was Aphrodite.

 

She was bent over the bed, unpacking various outfits into MY closet, yet I just stood there watching her, wondering if I could make myself as beautiful and strong as she as I grew up. She had just saved the world and I couldn’t even make my own dinner. Being a spy, she must of sensed movement behind her as she flicked around into a defensive stance, yet immediately relaxed as she saw it was me.

 

“Hey,” She said, a wide smiling breaking out on to her face. “You must be Juliet Stark?”

I nodded, a wave of shyness, overcoming me as I twiddled with my small thumbs.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Juliet,” The beautiful woman beamed at me as she continued unpacking her stuff. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m going to be residing in here for a couple of days.”

“Where are you going then?” I blurted out, unable to stop the craving of my curiosity. The woman turned back to look at me, winking.

“If I’d tell you, I’d have to kill you.” Many people say that as a joke, yet she didn’t say it in a joking way. After years of watching spies and high intelligence agents, I knew she probably wasn’t kidding, so I nodded seriously. She smiled and looked at me curiously, her eyes sweeping my gangly frame.

“You came back.” I stated, as if she would of remembered me, watching her from the banister.

“I go wherever I’m needed.” She shrugged as if she hadn’t just saved the world. 

“You don’t have a lot of things,” I observe slowly, my eyes glancing at the small bag she is unpacking. “Yet you wouldn’t unpack if you weren’t coming back.”

“You have good eyes and a quick mind, a spy in the making,” the woman narrowed her eyes yet there was a tinge of praise in her voice. “Your right. I think I’ll be back here soon enough. I think we all will.”

“I don’t think the doctor likes it here, very much.” I protested, shaking my head. “He hardly smiled.”  
A cloud of thought drifted across her eyes. “I don’t think he likes to be anywhere.” She thought aloud. “He’s a very interesting person. Sad but interesting.”  
She refocused as she finishes the last lot of clothes from her travel bag, tucking the bag under the bed. JARVIS’ voice broke the short silence.

“Miss Juliet, Miss Potts requests you to be in bed in exactly five minutes.”

I grin sheepishly. “I have to go.”  
The woman smiles at me, knowingly. “Goodnight Juliet, it was nice to meet you.” She reached into a pocket and pulled out a small, dainty pocket knife, decorated with purple stones that looked as though they were real precious stones. She takes my hand and places it in the palm, curling my fingers around it. “For if you ever need to protect yourself.” She adds, before straightening up.

“I dont..” I trail off, hand still clasped around the knife. 

“Just don’t tell Stark.” She adds, flopping onto the bed and beginning to remove her shoes. I take this as my que and so I nod, turning to leave. Just as I get to the door, I pause and look back.

“What’s your name?” I suddenly remember and for a moment her face stiffens and I think that she's about to yell before her body relaxes and something that resembles a smile forms on her lips.

“Natasha.” She answers, “Natasha Romanov.”  
“Natasha,” I repeat, nodding slowly. “I hope to see you soon Natasha.” I blush slightly, glancing at the floor.

“I think we’re going to get on very well.” Natasha adds as leave the room.

 

She was right.


End file.
